


tea and comfort

by nonbinarywithaknife (littleboxes)



Series: me sobbing about critical role [49]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alchemy, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Oneshot, Pre-Relationship, tea making
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-22
Updated: 2019-03-22
Packaged: 2019-11-27 09:51:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18193007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littleboxes/pseuds/nonbinarywithaknife
Summary: caduceus teaches nott how to make tea. she (tries) to teach him alchemy.





	tea and comfort

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Oblivion](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18192335) by [deej_nicolson](https://archiveofourown.org/users/deej_nicolson/pseuds/deej_nicolson). 



> i've fallen for this ship oh no

Nott likes to watch Caduceus make tea. The way he gently measure out the leaves, how his hands shake faintly, the quiet confidence in his motions- it’s, soothing, in a way. So, one day, while she watches him make tea from the corner of her eye as she normally does, when he speaks, in his gravelly tone, “ _ would you like to learn? _ ” she jumps like a teenager caught kissing behind the general store.

She blushes a dark green, and her eyes flick between the ground and Caduceus’ soft pink eyes. “Oh-! I, ah- hem, you don’t have to, I mean-,”

Caduceus’ smile is full of understanding. “I wouldn’t mind sharing my knowledge,” he says.

So Nott scoots over to him, and stares openly as he finishes making his cup. Once finished, he sets it aside, taking occasional sips as he pulls out a second mug. “First, you find the leaves you want…”

It’s not so different from alchemy, even with the decreased risk of poisonous smoke.

* * *

And so it becomes a ritual, to make tea together in the mornings. At first, Nott finds it weird. The harshness of her green, almost scaly hands against Caduceus’ fragile pastel china. 

(The cups reminds her of Veth’s china, the wedding gifts from her brothers. But Veth drank coffee, not tea, and too much of it as well. Veth’s mugs were wooden and rough, hand-carved by neighbors, and the set of fine china sat locked in a cabinet for guests that were never expected.)

But every time she pauses, or sighs in frustration, Caduceus puts a gentle hand on her shoulder. And every time she messes up, puts in too many leaves, or accidentally makes poison, he just smiles, and shows her how to improve. 

Eventually, she learns to move past these little things, although Caduceus still rests his hands on top of hers, and they go through the motions together. Nott doesn’t think about the fluttering in her chest when he does this. Instead, she focuses on the feel of his fur against her hands, the gentle beating of his heart she can hear when he leans in. She focuses on the peace of Caduceus’ presence, and thinks of nothing else. 

* * *

In return for the tea making lessons, Nott decides to teach Caduceus about alchemy. He can make a good health potion, but other than that, he knows laughably little about his local fauna, considering he lives in the middle of the  _ woods _ . It takes her awhile to learn about the plants that grow in the Grove, and often she has to try and extrapolate a plant’s effects from what she knows about the Felderwin variety and the anecdotes from Caduceus, but she finds her knowledge workable enough. She grew up on a farm and married an alchemist, after all, she thinks it’ll be alright.

The only problem is that none of it sticks with him at  _ all _ . Several times she’s had to frantically toss a vial over the fences so it doesn’t explode in her fuzzy friend’s face. He doesn’t seem bothered by his failures though, and the content smile on his face whenever she goes off on a tangent about some vague alchemical ingredient makes her warm. 

(He also never asks how a  _ goblin  _ knows this, knows such complicated science. He never asks her any questions, really, and she appreciates it. She also feels guilty, when he shares so much about his family, his life, when all she gives in return are lies and deflections.) (But he knows this, can recognize her hesitance for what it is, and doesn’t mind.  _ He  _ can see she’s a good person, even if she can’t quite recognize it yet.)

**Author's Note:**

> so soft. so sweet.


End file.
